The Soul of Money

In the world of philanthropy, Lynn Twist is a modern-day prophet. Her book, “The Soul of Money,” describes fundraising as a noble act. “Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Susan B. Anthony were all fundraisers,” Lynn told us at a recent workshop. “Their success was based on their ability to raise money for “social profit”.”

The seminar with Lynn was sponsored by the Cowell Foundation, a San Francisco based foundation that has invested heavily in Mendocino County, most recently in the Ukiah area. The Cowell Foundation meeting included several non-profit and educational leaders from our area, as well as from communities around the state where they make grants.

Lynn, who is now a grandmother, started her fundraising career as a kindergartner. She told us a story about her older sister, who came home crying one day because the costumes and sets for the school play, in which the sister had a starring role, had been cut due to budget shortages.

Susanne Norgard, Executive Director, writes in the Ukiah Daily Journal about people and organizations improving lives in our community.

In the world of philanthropy, Lynn Twist is a modern-day prophet. Her book, “The Soul of Money,” describes fundraising as a noble act. “Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Susan B. Anthony were all fundraisers,” Lynn told us at a recent workshop. “Their success was based on their ability to raise money for “social profit”.”

The seminar with Lynn was sponsored by the Cowell Foundation, a San Francisco based foundation that has invested heavily in Mendocino County, most recently in the Ukiah area. The Cowell Foundation meeting included several non-profit and educational leaders from our area, as well as from communities around the state where they make grants.

Lynn, who is now a grandmother, started her fundraising career as a kindergartner. She told us a story about her older sister, who came home crying one day because the costumes and sets for the school play, in which the sister had a starring role, had been cut due to budget shortages. To help her sister, Lynn convinced her kindergarten teacher to have her class host lemonade and cookie stands to raise money for the school play. She said, “It was the kindergartners who had taken on the budget. I was five year old when I learned that fundraising is an act of love.”

The central thesis of Lynn’s work is the “lie of scarcity.” She noted that our society is inculcated with this lie: we learn it as children (starting with the game of musical chairs), and it is reinforced by reality TV shows in which someone gets “voted off the island.”

On the other side of the scarcity assumption is Buckminster Fuller’s theory that we are living in a “world of sufficiency.” This point resonated with Camille Schrader from Redwood Children’s Services, one of Cowell’s grantees. She told me, “I was really struck by Fuller’s idea that humanity has passed over a vital threshold – that we are doing so much more with so much less, there is now enough for everyone to have a healthy and productive life.”

In a world of sufficiency, the definition of “capital” extends beyond money. Lynn told us about her work with investors who had holdings with Bernie Madoff. She said she saw a major breakthrough when they began to think of themselves as survivors, rather than victims, and to form alliances in order to trade and barter for goods and services. This resonated with Mary Buckley from Plowshares who understands the importance of human capital. Mary said, “Our wealth is really our connections. Social capital, in terms of good will, networking and skill sharing, is so important to Plowshares.”

My own work at the Community Foundation reaffirms Lynn’s belief that giving is an act of love that rewards the giver as much as the receiver. If you want to find out more, visit our website, www.communityfound.org.